Mission Mechanus: Savage Salvage
40 Eridani System The endless void of space stretches all around you, glittering with a backdrop of stars... Previously on TRANSFORMERS!! Impactor, the Autobot who goes too far, debriefed a group of comrades outside of the ruins of Iahex.. former Autobot headquarters on Cybertron. Fortress Maximux overruled his plan, to venture to Mechanus for material acquisition, and brigged him after the Wrecker leader took the insults a little -too- far. Fast forward to the brig and Impactor. A group of Autobots took it upon themselves, with some minor nudging, to break Impactor from the gulag. With his freedom in hand (literally, the guy only has one hand) and ship on course, the Wrecker leader steers towards Mechanus.. to perform the impossible. Nervously pacing the forward deck of the repurposed cruise ship, the Uniswifter, the gold and purple Autobot looks down at his data-pad to note the craft's course and time. Only three cycles behind schedule, not bad for a bunch of macho-mechs. Impactor briskly strides toward the crew's hold, right in the middle of the ship. Tapping his harpoon hand in unease on his hip, he walks through the corridor and in through the door. "Bots, we're almost there.. Defcon's intel has held up so far.. so good. I want you all ready fer tactical drop in twenty, got it?" Encore listens and nods, slipping a victory-dance into his hat's band and leaning against a bulkhead. "Ready when you are, guv. This place got an atmosphere?" Sandstorm doesn't look up from his task at hand as Impactor marchs into the crew area. Partially because he's in midst of the process of putting the assault rifle he had 'borrowed' while raiding the weapons lock-up for Impactor's harpoon and cannon back together after dismantling it for cleaning. It was one of those rare moments that the daredevil's actual technical skill showed. "You ask that like we weren't waiting ready, boss." Repugnus is casually leaning up against the hull, legs crossed and arms across his chest. "Ready in twenty? GAWD, I've been ready the WHOLE TIME for this drop." He chuckles. "Of course, not that I have to do much preparing. I bring me, my venom rifle, and my charming personality, and I'm set to go!" "Wham, BOOM, I was assembled ready!" Warpath says, saluting. "Now what are we BLAM, going in for, again? My memory banks have a ZIP, glitch in them." Groove was staring absent-mindedly at a wall, fiddling with his photon pistol a bit nervously. He had decided to come along in hopes of helping the team get in and out quickly, hopefully, with little to no violence involved. Wishful thinking, but he really didn't want to have to use his weapon. Only when Impactor enters the room does the small transformer break from his internal pondering. "Tactical drop? Hmm...well, as long as the skies are clear I'm ready for just anything." "Ah well, you never know.. don't need us droppin' back by tha base with ah corpse and only ah bunch of fancy metal ta show fer it." Impactor chuckles, trying to hide the importance of the mission. The Autobots are hurting bad, real bad. While Debris is a temporary reprieve from the relentless Decepticon scouting parties, it does nothing to advance their toehold on Cybertron.. or to help strike back at their enemies. Only hit and move tactics, Wrecker tactics. "Jeez Path, I swear.. you've forgotten more than Sludge is likely ta learn! It's real easy people, we're after metal. The more durable, the more rare. Mechanus, homeworld of the Mecannibals, is a virtual stockpile of the stuff." Impactor informs the group, pacing too and fro like a drill sergeant. Stopping dead in his tracks, he afixes the minitank straight in the optics. "Problem bein'? The Mecannibals, as their name would imply, eat metal.. eat structures.. eat spaceships." Strutting towards the navigation console and the nose of the cruise ship, the Wrecker leader finishes his sentiment. "They eat us." Encore smirks softly "Well I can deal with them. I repeat guv, does this place have at atmosphere? If it does I can provide us with some fire support." The big autobot smirks "And a ride while I'm at it." "Oh BLAM, yeah, that's right! Must have been listening to too many explosions!" Warpath says. "Well, if they eat metal, we're going to have to BOOM, blow them apart if they get any ideas in their heads that we're on the menu!" Repugnus then flips around into his monstrous creature mode, and a big needle-fanged grin spreads across his hideous face. "And I eat THEM! Heeeheheeheee! You know what they say, irony is a vital part of a balanced meal!" Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode! Sandstorm reachs over to sway Warpath on the shoulder. "Now that's the attitude!" Then shrugs a bit to Encore. "I dunno if they need to breath, but even if it's thin it oughta be enough for us to fly." Encore nods "Awesome. Soon as we're down I'll be out the door and in the air. I'll land once the LZ's clear. Unless ya need to walk and me to cover you the whole way" "And that's a positive on the atmosphere Encore, but we'll be droppin' in on good ole foot. Don't werry, yer escape plan alpha bud." Impacor replies to Encore, the Autobot's own enerhol distiller. "We don't need ta announce our arrival anymore than we gotta." "I'm Locked, stocked, and fully loaded!" Warpath says, "When we drop, we'll get the BLAM, drop on them!" Encore nods "No worries. Moment we come under attack though, I'll get airborne and bring in the 40mm." He nods, lighting himself a lower-quality cigar The enthusiasm of his fellow autobots takes the edge off Groove's own worries. "Seems those mecannibals are gonna have more to chew on than just metal today. Let's get this groovy party started. What's our ETA?" Coming back from the front cabin, Impactor shouts out loud. "It's time!" Marching over towards the bay door on the side of the craft, the Wrecker leader slams his fist against a big red button.. opening the door and sending a terrible gale of pressure through the compartment. Grabbing a R-Infinity Assault Rifle out of the weapons crate, Impactor straps it onto his back and gives the rest a grin. "I'M GOING FIRST.. LINE UP BEHIND ME AND KEEP IT COMING. WE DON'T WANT TO GET SEPARATED!!" he inanely shouts over the noise of the rushing air. The others probably hear little to nothing. Next thing you know, the Wrecker is jumping out of a perfectly good cruise liner!! Encore laughs and follows moments later. It's quite obvious Encore was a suicide jockey; he takes a quick swig of his flask and then leaps out the door, cackling. "Cowabunga!" Gumbie A looks to Gumbie B, a worried look on his face. "Dude, did he just jump without a parachute?" Gumbie A says. Gumbie B says, "Dude, it's Impactor. He says parachutes are for sissies." Bug Creature would probably have jumped off right into a sun, based on how eagerly he stomps after Impactor, cackling to himself as he launches himself out the bay door. "I REGRET NOTHING HAHAHAHAHA!" he cries. Warpath runs and takes a flying leap. "BLAM, GERONIMOOOOOO!" he shouts, following right after Encore. Warpath makes a sudden realization. "Did we bring parachutes?" Groove grabs a small laser pistol from the weapons crate, just incase, before tumbling out of the cruise liner next. Not really use to this sort of thing, he looks like flopping heap of colored metal before he's able to straighten himself out in mid-air. Sandstorm is right on their heels out of the hatchway. "Bonzai!" Because all the other leaping out of an aircraft lines were already taken. "Parachutes are the -easy- way!" He replies loudly to Warpath with a laugh... of course, he's the one that can actually fly, why would he be worried? Encore can fly too, of course, so isn't that worried either. Bug Creature just doesn't care. And it's a loooooooooooooooong drop. Wrecker, Monsterbot, Minibot, Protectobot, or Professional Alcoholic.. they all manage to follow Impactor out of the comfy confines of the cruise ship. Obviously not sane, in their own respects. Impactor collides with Mechanus' rocky and tough surface, rolling forward to distribute the kinetic energy.. springing up three paces later with his assault rifle held out to bear on one arm.. his harpoon arm pointed in the opposite direction. Only waiting an astrosecond, the Wrecker leader starts shuffling forward.. trying to set up a perimeter if and when the others make contact with the planet's surface.. and stay concious. <> Impactor roars over their broadband channel. WHOOOOMMMPPPHHH!!! That's the sound of a large and heavy object whipping just centimeters from Impactor's head. That object would be Repugnus, who drops into a roll on his own landing, eventually coming to a stop, curled like a ball. <> Repugnus transmits in reply, springing up and holding his scythe-like claws out to either side. <> Encore lands and rolls - less gracefully than Impactor - ending in a crouch with his pistol levelled. "Encore, down!" He sounds off, taking a pull of his cigar and scanning around, adjusting his helmet. He appears to have a personal music system, and, quietly, the words of the track he's listening to can be heard: "As we stepped off the boat and into the jungle "We cranked up the volume and marched to our own drummer." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PSbBdlUdFc Sandstorm uprights his body to bring his legs up under himself, catching one of the outcroppings of rock with his heels and letting the momentum of his fall burn off by sliding down the stone slab until he finally skids to a stop not far from the others. <> He reachs over his shoulders to pull both guns off his back, assault rifle in one hand and trademark sandblaster in the other. Warpath transforms just as he lands, so he is on his treads. His tankbarrel rattles up and down from the impact. "WHEE, BLAM, now that's what I'm talking about," he says. Warpath folds down into his awesome tank mode. Groove slams into the ground feet first, sliding across the rough terrain. He looks as if he's going to stay upright until he hits a sizable chunk of metal embedded in the ground and flips head over heels. <> He rolls to his feet, laser pistol and photon pistol at the ready. His optics start to scan the surrounding area for any sign of meccanibals. Red Tank says, "Well, they're looking for robots to eat, not tanks, right?" Groove says, "I think it's anything metal, Warpath. Not just robots." Mechanus A small rough red planet, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, sits out apart the vast emptiness of space. It's surface is craggy and rocklike, with visible scrap piles of metal from the atmosphere. Upon closer inspection, possibly landing, numerous huts and homes linked together are revealed. Not very advanced, they amount to little more than giant metal slabs leaned up against eachother. Small parties of the local inhabitants, Mecannibals, can be seen congregating here and there. <> Impactor remarks, rubbing his helm. Did Repugnus make contact, or is the Wrecker remarking on just how close the collision might have been cut. Either way, he shoots out some hand signals for the group to fan out.. two to the left, two to the right, and one directly behind. <> Encore grins softly and nods, going to the left and flattening himself against some handy cover. He looks around, still listening to his Drum and Bass. "Clear." He says, loud enough for the autobots to hear Sandstorm motions to Groove, pointing the Protectobot scout in the other direction. "You take one side, I'll take the other. Then we got recon on both sides." He fans out to the right, hopping atop another outcropping and crouching down there to keep a low profile while getting a clear view ahead. <> he replies with a stifled snicker. Groove offers a nod to sandstorm takes up the left flank, doing his best to keep his movements quiet and keep within some sort of cover. He's not too far off from Encore, but keeps some distance between the two to draw less attention. <> Bug Creature waggles his scythe-like arms to either side as he elects to investigate the area behind Impactor, peering ahead with his bulbous optics. "Heeeere, Meccanibal Meccanibal, heeere Meccanibal..." It may be that he's not looking out for Meccanibals so much as he's looking FOR them. Red Tank trundles along in the direction that Impactor points, fanning out with the others. His tankbarrel pans back and forth, as if scanning for hostiles right from the barrel. "Wham, BANG, this is going to be a lot of fun!" In the distance, a small yet quaint village can be discerned. Simple metal lean-tos are constructed in a circular formation, all huddled around a giant glowing yellowish orange hunk of metal. Heated from within the planet's core itself, it basks the surrounding structures with faint.. yet adequate light. <> Impactor informs the rest, making hand gestures to make the group round on the west side of the village. <> the Wrecker gruffs, falling back in the pack to the rear position. Bug Creature steps forward, eagerly taking the point position, maybe too eagerly, judging from his creepy grin. <> Chuckling quietly, he steps forward, looking left to right for heat signatures, and waving his arms about as he tries to uncover unusual scents. Encore says, "If ya say so, psycho-boy. Let's just get the job done and hope we don't get our exhausts chewed on by command /too/ much." "... I'm not sure I should be amused by his attitude, or worried that he's gonna make -us- look sane and adjusted," Sandstorm comments half to Impactor, though it's hardly kept from anyone else hearing, either, before he darts off in the indicated direction. <> he radios back a few moments later. <> Encore looks in the direction indicated and darts from his cover to some closer to the village, peeking just his head over the top of the crate as he gestures the others forwards. If he's on a commando raid then he's gonna damn well act like a commando! "So the thermals is where we BLAM, want to be heading for?" the Red Tank asks. "So far I don't POW, see anything unusual. Good thing there's nobody home!" Groove remains quiet for now. He starts off westward toward the village, but makes for higher ground. Keeping out of sight as best he can, Groove heads upwards and westwards in a speedy fashion. Seeing as he can't fly, this is as close as he can get to a birds-eye view of the area. <> Impactor responds on the broadband, to the numerous comments. To be frank, the Wrecker wasn't 100% on this mission in the first place.. Fortress Maximus' position on the matter made him take such a problematic gung-ho standpoint. <> Impactor grumbles, nervously twitching the index finger dangling in front of the Assault rifle's trigger. <> Encore nods as he darts forward, turning just outside the hut. "I want two loaders, I can't fill me own cargo hold up!" Folding in some places and unfolding in others, Encore transforms into an AC130U Spooky II gunship. AC130U Gunship drops his tail ramp in preparation. "Gonna need you both ends." Sandstorm, on the other hand, was eating up every thrilling moment of it, the potential danger of the mission had his fuel pumping all the harder with.. whatever functions as adrenaline when it comes to giant metamorphic space robots. He did good to keep his wits about him though... it was just common sense the daredevil lacked in most cases. <> Trusting the Protecto-scout to keep watch, he hurries after Encore to put his brute strength to better use with the loading, already grabbing up some of the stockpile by the time the flyer is transforming. <> AC130U Gunship says, "I hear ya, Sandy!" Bug Creature tromps into the village proper, peering around a corner with his manic grin. <> He looks around the village, scanning in all directions, arms still waving about. <> <> Groove transmits over the radio. Perched high above the rest of the autobots, he keeps his photon pistol steadied on his opposite arm as he constantly scans the area. Should a mecannibal show up, they'll find their optics full of 5,000 watts of light before they realize whats even going on. Not one to be outdone, Impactor rushes up to help load the precious cargo. <> The Wrecker's left hand snatches at the metallic chunks, tossing them with reckless abandon into Encore's cargo bay. It's more or less a refuse pile, certain types that don't digest so well.. or leftovers from last night's feast. Either way, helpful for the Autobot cause. Red Tank goes to where he's supposed to. He doesn't chatter any more right now, because he's busy now. He transforms when he gets to the pile, and prepares to help load. The tank splits down the middle, then rises up. The treads separate into legs and arms pop out of the sides. The head comes out of the top of the tank. It's Warpath! If -they- can't digest it, it must be pretty sturdy stuff, after all. Sandstorm is a -little- neater, but only in the fact that he has two hands to work with. He's still mostly just tossing it in, trying to vagely keep it piled in a way that will allow for as much in one trip as possible. "Yeah, Repugnus is starting to even creep -me- out a little," murmurs the Wrecker under his breath. Considering who he keeps company with, that's saying something. With the hull as full as it's likely to be, Impactor taps the landing ramp twice with his boot. <> the Wrecker leader calls out over the broadband, already halfway there. AC130U Gunship heads back to the shuttle with those who're unloading him, taking quite a distance to get airborne. The noise and flying Autobot are probably quite large signs to any locals that there's something here! On second thought, Groove may not have been the best choice for a look out. His mind has a tendency to wander, and now is no exception. Luckily, it starts to wander just before Impactor calls out over the broadband again, so he's not spacing out for long. <> He waits for a moment however, trying to get a visual on what Impactor was referring to before making his descent. Bug Creature laughs at Impactor's remark. <> After being kicked out of the Autobots for the umpteenth time, that is. <<--so it's kind of an empty threat to say you'll leave me here, don't you think? You could be doing EXACTLY what I want you to. And these Meccanibals... it's been a while, but I'm sure they STILL remember me... heeheehee...>> FLASHBACK Two baby Meccanibals are clinging together, shaking in terror as a shadow covers them. They're cornered, with nowhere to run. "You know, they say meat's more tender the younger it is," Repugnus, the source of the shadow, says in the past. "I wonder if that applies to Meccanibals?" His arms raise up, then-- END FLASHBACK <> Repugnus replies to Impactor, creeping along to the next signature. Jetfire says, "Now that the universe has stabilized... what matters need attention?" Encore's engines did more than lift him off the ground or propel him forward, it brought the wrong kind of attention to the little shin-dig. A rather small Mecannibal, light pink in coloration, piques his head out from inside a tent. Spying the Autobots, he darts back inside.. and nothing. Impactor leads the way to the next pile, this one a nice and neat stack of metal I-Beams. The Mecannibals, for all their lore, aren't -just- greedy metal munching monsters. They're also traders of a type, so anything they can stand not to devour.. brings them enough pay to sate their hunger. "Isn't there something we can ZOOM, rub all over ourselves to make us taste bad?" Warpath wants to know. "You'd think that would be a BLAM, good insurance policy." Bug Creature casually replies to Warpath, "Baby Meccanibals, that might work." Then, he spins about just as the small Mecannibal ducks back into cover. He peers long and hard at the tent that may or may not still be hiding the creature. <> Sandstorm watchs Encore take off, then looks back to Impactor. "We -did- leave some lowbies with the shuttle to unload him, right?", he asks, even as they're headed towards the next mark on the map. Despite the passing conversation, he's got his sharp optics on the terrain around them. While not quite as twitchy fingered as some people here, he's still warily ready to have to stop sneaking and start shooting. "Well, there was this one time," he starts to reply to Warpath, "when scouting a jungle world out I had to keep giant lizardmen off my trail by rolling around in their own digestive exretements, because they avoided where they pooped because it meant there was no food left there." .. Boy its a good thing Loadout isn't around to hear that story, he'd probably faint at hearing about having to roll in crap. <> Impactor worriedly shouts into the broadband, keeping pace with Sandstorm. "Yeah, who do ya think is flyin' tha bloomin' thing? And seriously, the Corta Six story.. I told ya Storm, never wanted to hear that -again-." "Would you rather hear one of -his- stories?" Sandstorm replies, nudging his head in Repugnus' direction... then drops the conversation as the exchange over the radio snaps his attention. Abruptly he's gone from wiseass to serious in split-seconds, hefting up his rifle into a ready position and takes off the safe--wait, he never had that on. Right. <> Possibly literally. Bug Creature grins at Sandstorm's story. "Wow! That sounds like a place I'd fit into REAL easy. But back to what I was saying..." <> Groove is more concerned with keeping the high ground, constantly having to descent a bit to eventually ascend higher and keep his overall view on the area, all while trying to stay hidden. Although, the chatter helped keep his mind from randomly latching onto some strange thought and forgetting the task at hand. Warpath chuckles at Sandstorm. "Yeah, don't tell BLAM, Loadout about that one. Or Sunstreaker or Tracks, either." <> Impactor shouts into the broadband, growing impatient. Repugnus' update on the situation doesn't help either, the Wrecker leader wanders closer towards his location. "You sure-sure.. or just goin' on gut here?" he inquires, glancing around the village. From inside the same tent, small chatter can be overheard.. right before four small-ish Mecannibals burst from the tent. Light pink, like the first, and young.. the creatures are still easily twice as big as any Transformer present. Angry, but childish, toothy smiles spread across their mouths as they rush into the first couple of Autobots they see. "YOU COME TO GET EATEN, WE OBLIGE!" the one in the middle shouts. Small Mecannibal Swarm has arrived. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Impactor with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! -1 Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Bug Creature with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! -1 Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Sandstorm with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! -1 "Whoa." Groove had never actually seen a mecannibal before, and didn't expect them to be THAT big. Atleast they showed up when he had properly situated himself on a suitable perch. <> Groove warns the group before taking aim with his photon pistol. Despite its small size, it emits a widening beam of blinding light that washes over the Mecannibals that started to assault his allies. Unless they shield their optics in time, they'll have a hard time seeing for a while. Combat: Groove strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Photon Pistol attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily limited Small Mecannibal Swarm's Accuracy! (Blinded) Bug Creature yells as the Meccanibals burst out of the tent, all fangs, "That answer your question, Packy?" And as one of them clamps its teeth into his side, Repugnus screams at them, "THAT WAS MY LINE! Oh, and nice to "meat" you guys again, by the way!" He brings his claws up and stabs them down at the brain of the Mecannibal that attacked him! "Got any kids? Just wondering!" Combat: Bug Creature misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Shearing Claws attack! -1 Sandstorm turns around at the sound of movement, just in time for the 'small' Mecannibal to chomp down on his shoulder. "Little buggers finally decided to show up for the party!" Some Autobots may hesitate at fighting what could possibly be just a child... but hey, he was attacked first, that's all Sandstorm really cares. Technically it's defense at this point. Wrenching himself free, he turns completely as he levels the assault rifle and opens fire. "How's this fer a snack instead?" Combat: Sandstorm strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Assault Rifle Blast attack! -1 "BLAM BOOM guys, I'm coming!" Warpath says, "I won't let them turn you into today's special!" He transforms into tank mode and starts firing at the Meccanibal spawnlings. "POW, BAP, ZAP! Go away, you little creeps!" Warpath folds down into his awesome tank mode. Combat: Red Tank strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Laser attack! Between keeping his optics on the skyline for Encore, and checking the suitable beams in the pile.. Impactor is more or less caught unaware when the Mecannibals clamp onto his harpoon arm and start feasting. "Yeowch!!" he calls out, shaking the one loose with a punch to the head.. the Wrecker leader levels his R-Infinity Assault Rifle and tries to forcefeed it into the other Mecannibal's mouth. "Yeah, question answered alright." he replies, pulling the trigger. Combat: Impactor strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his R-Infinity Mouthful! attack! -2 The small pack of Mecannibals is easily beaten back, just as the auxillary transport craft from the Uniswifter pulls up. "Apologies for the delay, Impactor.. sir. Ran into some problems, will explain later!" a gumbie shouts from the pilot's seat, opening up the small cargo bay door. Only two are left standing from the original four, but as the Autobot's will soon learn.. that's more than enough to keep them busy. "Your threats don't.. uhh, threaten us Autobot!" one glowers at Repugnus, charging forward. "We remember what you did to our spawnlings!!" Another makes it's way around the Wreckers, trying it's best to clamp down on Warpath's tread. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm sets its defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Bug Creature with its Metal Munch! Area attack! -2 Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm misses Red Tank with its Metal Munch! Area attack! -2 As one Mecannibal drops and the other takes off towards the minibot, Sandstorm grunts and slings the rifle across his back as he sprints after it. Pulling one of his heated combat knives out of its hiding spot, the Wrecker leaps for the thing's back and tries to plunge the blade into its neck, or what passes for one. He gave up on trying to make sense of alien anatomy centuries ago, and sticks to just going for what looks like a weak spot. "No tank munchies for you!" Combat: Sandstorm strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Go For The.. Throat? attack! -1 Bug Creature transforms after getting a strip of armor ripped away from his cheek. "Oh, you DO remember me! I'm touched--but since you do remember me, don't you boys think it might be a bad idea to go inviting more of the same by chewing on me? *Think of the children.* Or just think of your arm. Yeah, think of that, for now!" Then, he tries grabbing onto his Meccanibal assailant's spindly arm and snapping it in half! The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode! Combat: Repugnus strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Dirty Fighting attack! -2 Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Small Mecannibal Swarm's Agility. (Crippled) Groove's optics zoom in on the Mecannibal currently munching on Repugnus, searching the creature for any critical weaknesses. After a moment he relays over the broadband, <> Just because he didn't want to active engage in combat, didn't mean Groove couldn't give his allies an edge. Combat: Groove analyzes Small Mecannibal Swarm for weaknesses Impactor can exploit. "BLAM BOOM yeah!" The Red Tank exclaims, "No tank munchies! You got that right! Now scram before I SPLAT, blow you all to smithereens!" Combat: Red Tank strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his BLAM! ZAM! POW! (Pistol) attack! When he's more or less ignored for more 'choice' cuts, Impactor shrugs and starts loading the auxillary craft up with the precious I-Beams. <> The Mecannibal whimpers when his arm is easily snapped in half, shying away and trying to vainly scratch out with the broken extremity. Making a break for the village just ahead, the Mecannibal is crying the whole way and blabbering about bringing backup. Meanwhile the other lone Mecannibal shrieks when not only is a thermal blade insterted into his neck, or what passes as one. Frantically pawing around at both Warpath and Sandstorm, the beast loses blood all the while.. splattering the ground and nearby assailants. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm misses Sandstorm with its Ruckus Area attack! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm misses Red Tank with its Ruckus Area attack! "Oh, nobody's coming to help you," Repugnus says, leaping after the escaping Meccanibal, transforming in mid-air and trying to stab his claws into it, as deeply as he can. "I'm gonna have me a barby, buddy, and guess who's going on the spit?" Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode! Combat: Bug Creature sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Bug Creature misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Shearing Claws attack! Sandstorm keeps a grip on the hilt of his knife as the Meccanibal starts flailing around. "Whoa, ride 'em Wrecker!" Then hears Impactor shouting over the radio. Bah, gotta ruin his fun. "Think you can handle this one now Path?" He kicks off the things backside, hitting the ground midrun to rush over and help Impactor with the goods getting into the backup shuttle. "Groove, keep an optic out for incoming backup!" he snaps towards the Protectobot, just to make sure the guy doesn't doze off on them. Combat: Sandstorm takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Repugnus says, "Bah... slippery for a fat bastard." Sit-Com says, "Is Fat Bastard asking for a baby to get in his belly?" Repugnus happens to miss his prey, and Groove feels a little bad for the guy having noticed this. He aims the laser pistol at the fleeing mecannibal and fires a disruptive pulse of electricity at it, intending to slow it down long enough for Repugnus to finish it off. He doesn't stare long enough to aim properly, though, as he has his optics trained on the nearby village. This time, he doesn't intend on letting a surprise attack catch them off-guard. Combat: Groove misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Disruptor attack! -1 Repugnus says, "Yes. Yes he is." The Red Tank spins his treads this way and that, dodging the advancing Mecannibals. "Oh no! You're not BLAM, going to take a bite out of me! I'm so tough, you could chew on my armor for weeks and not even make a dent!" He levels another blast at the swarm. Combat: Red Tank strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Laser attack! What was once shifting through the pile, checking for integrity and material.. has dissolved into reckless grabbing and chucking. Impactor, one hand mind you, tries to fill the craft as quickly as possible. "We get this load, and we're gold.. we don't. And well, I'll let you imagine what mighta been.. Storm." Impactor asides to his fellow Wrecker. Combat: Impactor takes extra time to steady himself. Pass The fleeing Mecannibal manages to evade both Repugnus' -and- Groove's attacks, evolving his simple 'run for the hills' routine for a zig-zag pattern. All the while, screaming as loud as he can. "INTRUDERS, INTRUDERS!!" Meanwhile, the lone Mecannibal is released by the Wrecker's blade.. only to be pelted with a tank laser! "Oh, I'll show you dent alright!!" he muses, rushing forward.. unhinging his jaw to bite down on the whole front end of Warpath! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm misses Red Tank with its Unhinged! attack! Sandstorm just laughs as he tosses more of the material into the shuttle. As far as he's conserned it's grab what they can, the eggheads can sort out what can be used as is, and what needs to be melted down and reforged. The important thing is they get it home. "Bah! We've been through worse spots than this. Remember raiding that fuel depot on Zeta Regalia... and no one told us about the constrictor snake-vines? Broadside bitched for months about being stuck in carrier mode in middle of a giant lake to hold us all because those things couldn't float." Combat: Sandstorm takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Bug Creature transforms again as the monster eludes his clutches, grumbling, "Going to make me SHOOT you, the nerve," as he pulls out his Venom Laser, switches it to a lethal setting, and fires it at the retreating Meccanibal's back, if it can be called that. "Load that crap faster, we're gonna be swamped with these bastards in a moment!" he yells at the other bots. The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode! Combat: Repugnus strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Laser attack! Groove started to make for even higher ground, all the while his optics were trained on the far off village. Soon those mecannibals would be out in droves, or so he assumed, and unfortunately he was in the best position to see 'em coming and slow them down. He already fired TWICE today. Hard to be a pacifist in times of war. "Oh well, atleast I haven't actually killed anything today" the groovy autobot muttered to himself. Combat: Groove takes extra time to steady himself. Pass "Anyone ever tell you you look like a BLAM, red finless Sharkticon?" the Red Tank says to the Mecannibal that is this very moment trying to take a bite out of his front fender. He tanktreads backwards quickly so that the metal-munching red ball ends up gnashing empty air. "If you're red, then BLAM, you must be HOT! Let me cool you down!" A freezing cold shell blasts out of the tank's barrel at point blank range. Combat: Red Tank strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Cryo Shells attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Small Mecannibal Swarm's Agility. (Crippled) "Easier said than done, Pug.. we're sittin' at fifty percent!" Impactor calls back, apparently abandoning the no-chatter and broadband restriction for now. Turning back to face Sandstorm, the Wrecker leader tries to double his pace. "Heh, still don't beat the time on Calita Beta... when Rack 'N Ruin were fightin' over the Con hostage so much, they ended up tearin' him in half." Combat: Impactor takes extra time to steady himself. Pass The Mecannibal in flee-mode is struck in the back, which is odd.. considering their round ball-like make-up. It's not really their back, but.. yeah. Tumbling to the ground, he rolls forward a couple of feet before coming to a stop.. knocked out cold. But still, his cries did not fall on deaf ears.. or audio receptors. Suddenly the camp is alive with activity, massive swarms of Mecannibals meeting in the middle of the village.. only to pinpoint on their 'victims'. "FEAST, FEAST, FEAST!" they cry out in unison, charging down the hill.. which crushes the younger unconcious Mecannibal underfoot. The Mecannibal tangling with Warpath takes the cryo shell attack.. mouth first. Gulping, a wide grin spreads across the unhinged jaw of the creature. "Oooooh.. Yooouuer.. Gooooinnn.. Taaaaaast.. Guuuuuud!" he tries to comment, but you know.. unhinged jaw and all. Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Red Tank with its Zerg Rush! Area attack! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Repugnus with its Zerg Rush! Area attack! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Impactor with its Zerg Rush! Area attack! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Sandstorm with its Zerg Rush! Area attack! Combat: Small Mecannibal Swarm strikes Groove with its Zerg Rush! Area attack! Repugnus transforms back into creature mode, snarling, "If you're at fifty-percent, then guess what, Packy? THAT'LL HAVE TO DO! We need to go and now!" In a desperate attempt to slow down the swarm, he begins bombarding them with a disorienting display of flashing lights and colors from his optics. "Hrrgnnnhhh, COME ON! F*** YOU! I'LL KILL YOU AND YOUR KIDS, TOO!" he screams at the Mecannibals as they catch up to him, gnawing at his flanks. Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode! Combat: Bug Creature misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Stroboscopic Eyes attack! Sandstorm throws several more beams and a few other odds and ends into the shuttle. Then stops as he pulls a pipe out of the pile. ".. Hey, this is polyuthene. No wonder they didn't eat i--ow!" Several of the meccanibals managed to jump on him while his back was turned grabbing junk. With a grunt he attempts to grab one of the uglies to pull it off himself, then whip him around a few times to slug the others away from the shuttle. "I hate to admit it Boss, but the Monsterbot's right! We don't prove nuthin' to the big softies if we come back empty handed. Or dead," He adds as he finally flings the one he was using as a bludgeon back into the pack. Combat: Sandstorm sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Wreckin' Brawl (Smash) attack! Groove is knocked off his perch as a Mecannibal tackles him and tries to swallow his arm whole. He manages to pull back far enough to save his appendage, but the laser pistol he took with him wasn't so lucky. He bounces down the heap of rocks he was on, and manages to right himself long enough to make a proper leap into the air and flip around into motorcycle mode. With his newly acquired reinforced tires, borrowed just for this mission, Groove skitters down the rest of the miniature mountain while firing his twin vaporizers backwards at the mecannibal hot on his tail-pipe. Groove transforms into his Motorcycle mode. Combat: Motorcycle strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Twin Vaporators attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Small Mecannibal Swarm's Agility. (Crippled) Red Tank gets chomped on, but only a little bit. "HAH!" he exclaims, "Bet you BLAM, don't like the taste of that, do you?" he says, "I rubbed myself all over with A-535 before coming here!" He fires at the monstrosity again. "Now see how you POW, like the taste of THIS!" Combat: Red Tank misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Disruptor attack! "Much as I hate ta run out onna good fight, I think we need ta!!" Impactor shouts, forcibly throwing the cargo door upwards.. helping it's close. Mecannibals swarm his lower torso, biting and grabbing at his unprotected flanks.. slowly but surely dragging him down. Until finally, the Wrecker leader has vanished from sight! Only a moment later, breaking through the mass of bodies, is an arm.. wielding a large mace. The blood of his opponents stainted on it's entirety.. Impactor swings the deadly instrument around in a semi-circle, trying to clear a path. <> Combat: Impactor strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Facebreaker! (Kick) attack! The Mecannibals, momentarily knocked back by the numerous blows landed, surround the shuttle and begin to latch onto that instead. Tearing away with tooth and claw, they try to munch on the propulsion systems first.. passengers next. Even as Repugnus is gnawed on, the Monsterbot gives back as good as he gets, slashing and biting his way back to Impactor. "Oh, I'm not leaving without you, fearless leader! And--oh, nevermind! Hey, no bogarting our space ships, jerks!" He refocuses on the Meccanibals attacking the shuttle, partly to get them off, but also so to clear a path for himself. Combat: Bug Creature misses Small Mecannibal Swarm with his Shearing Claws attack! -2 <> Sandstorm turns to face the larger horde as it descends upon them and the shuttle, but it's not his rifle he reachs for. If those things can drag -Impactor- down it's not going to be so easy as shooting them down again. For a brief moment he's torn in intention. He can rescue Impactor.. Or he can make sure the other Autobots get out alive with the goods. It's the sort of decision every soldier hates to have to make. Even knowing they all excepted the potential dangers of this gig when they accepted the offer to be a Wrecker in the first place... Then he remembers if he wasn't busy smashing faces, Pac-man would be yellin' at him to do just that, make sure the mission is a success regardless of the other consequences. Like he just said, they didn't prove nothing if they don't go home with nothing. Or go home at all. So instead of his weapon, he pulls out a large spherical object, quickly plugs a last couple of wires in, and closes it up as it starts ticking ominously. "SHUTTLE! NOW!" He bellows at the other Autobots. "I'll give 'em a good reason to NOT follow us!" He grabs one the Meccanibals and violently yanks it off the shuttle with one hand. "You want a snack?" With the other, violently shoves the large explosive into the beast's mouth. "Have a taste of THIS spicy meatball!" And then punts the bomb-stuffed sap back into the horde, just as the timer should be about to go off! Combat: Sandstorm has created a bomb: "Wrecker Special"! Combat: Sandstorm sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Small Mecannibal Swarm with Wrecker Special's Huge Explosion #10237 attack! Combat: Sandstorm's Wrecker Special is destroyed! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Small Mecannibal Swarm's Agility. (Crippled) "You don't have to BLAM, tell me twice!" the Red Tank says. He transforms and runs for the shuttle like he's told. "Oh wow, now that's going to be a BIG BOOM! That'll teach them to nibble on Autobots and Shuttles!" The tank splits down the middle, then rises up. The treads separate into legs and arms pop out of the sides. The head comes out of the top of the tank. It's Warpath! Combat: Warpath takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Groove's great maneuverability shines here, he floors his engine and races down the heap of rocks as easily as someone cruises on an empty highway. Weaving through the rocks, finding the flattest path to follow, Groove starts to daydream of cruising along the highways in the countryside, with blue skies overhead. Impactor's voice brings his mind back to the present just in time for him to pop a wheelie and hit the ground cleanly. Spraying loose rocks in his wake, Groove speeds across the battlefield firing concentrated mists of liquid nitrogen and corrosive acid in intermittent bursts at various Mecannibals as he approaches the shuttle, attempting to either freeze their appendages in place or cause them to simply fall off at the joints. Although, Sandstorm's bomb has Groove change up his tactics. No longer focusing on trying to shoot, the autobot flips up into his robot form and lands on the head of a nearby mecannibal. Using it to give himself a boost, Groove leaps for the shuttle, trying to avoid the blast radius of the activated bomb. <> Motorcycle transforms into his Groove mode. Combat: Groove takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Fanfare says, "Wot you saying about me bruv?" Ringing true to Sandstorm's call, Impactor recklessly swings the mace around another couple of strokes.. felling a Mecannibal here, rendering another toothless, and keeping them all on their toes. Groove's combination of nitro and acid really weaken the creatures, a 1-2 combo when combined with the other Wrecker's special gift.. it's detonation sends shockwaves throughout the entire area. Wading through the writhing bodies, the Wrecker leader clasps a hand at the foot of the shuttle as it lifts off. "Storm, get this bird off tha ground NOW!!" Repugnus says, "HE SAID HE HATES YOU AND WISHES YOU WERE DEAD!" The Mecannibals in front of the line of fire buckle, between the Protectobot's dual dose of firepower and Triplechanger's devastating salvo.. they had no other choice. Yet still, enough pressure from the village increases the amount of Mecannibals in the area.. fruitlessly leaping into the air to snatch onto the shuttle. Although a specific individual dangling from the shuttle? The beasts latch onto and start climbing up Impactor's legs. Fanfare says, "Eh, he says that all the time." Saboteur Foxfire says, "Ow...my poor ears..." Repugnus says, "Oh, okay." Andi Lassiter mutters tiredly and grouchily, "What the HELL is all the yelling about?" Jazz says, "Ya got me Andi, but it's crampin' my jams here! What's the word?" Bug Creature , seeing that Impactor managed to stop trying to be a hero and decided to hop onto the shuttle, does so himself, hopping up onto the ramp and transforming into robot mode. "Welp, dunno about you guys, but I had fun!" The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode! Repugnus says, "The bird is the word!" Fanfare says, "Wasnae ME fault..." Saboteur Foxfire audibly facepaws. "It's now or never folks!" There's hardly even time to admire his handywork. Alas. Sandstorm dives for the cockpit in the brief moments of relapse from the horde, and punchs the ignition. "Time to sit down, hold on and shut up, cuz this is going to be a bumpy ride!" No time for being fancy or delicate. Sandstorm grabs the flight controls and yanks back HARD on them, pulling the shuttle up and away from the ground in a violent expulsion of thrust as he tries to make it go up and go fast a lot quicker than it's designed to in order to escape the claws and hungry maws trying to snatch at it. Now would not be a good time to point out he doesn't actually have any piloting skills and like a true stuntman is just totally faking it by the seat of his exhaust ports, would it? Groove crashes into passenger part of the shuttle, causing it to rock mildly moments before Sandstorm 'punches it', as they say. "Well, I got to cruise a bit there, so yea. I had some fun." He sticks two fingers up, giving the Mecannibals the peace sign as the shuttle streaks upwards toward the cruise liner. Andi Lassiter says, "I don't care what the word is. Just keep it down, all right?" Fanfare says, "Aye aye.. *softly. For him*" "WHAM, BLAM, YEAH!" Warpath whoops, as the shuttle takes off. "We got everything we need, right? All the BOOM, metal that is so tough the Mecannibals can't eat it?" Repugnus says, "Maybe you shouldn't sleep with a military radio on, human! Just an idear." Dragging himself into the passenger bay department of the shuttle, literally. His legs, if they can still be called that, are wittled to emaciated twigs that are hardly hanging on by wires and soldered circuits. The Mecannibals ate him to the bone. Grimacing with obvious discomfort on his face, Impactor groans out. "Medic!" Andi Lassiter says, "Oh, so you /won't/ be offended if I sleep through a medical emergency page?" Repugnus says, "Well, *I* wouldn't, but that's just me." Fanfare says, "Mebbe we can get ye a pager Andi? Just an idear so ye can sleep.." Andi Lassiter says, "It IS a pager, Fanfare. It's keyed to activate at abrupt changes in the channel chatter so I have time to get to Metroplex before your slagged afts get back from being used as floor mops." Fanfare says, "Ohh. err, Ah see." Loadout says, "I assure you I would never use any sort of slagged aft as a replacement for one of my floor mops." Andi Lassiter says, "Oh. Sorry, Loadout. Didn't mean to offend you with that harsh language there." Repugnus says, "Speaking of slagged afts, got any replacement legs? Impactor seems to have lost his!" Fanfare snickers Once they're in the air and out of Meccanibal reach, Sandstorm activates the auto-pilot, the shuttle settling into a much more comfortable flight pattern as it heads to meet up with the refitted cruiser of its own accord. That settled he pushes out of the pilot's seat and heads back into the passanger area. Tsks a bit at Impactor. "As usual boss, yer just lucky -I- came prepared," he half teases. Even as he's pulling out a small pack and opening it. "Okay, so I ain't a medic, but I can at least stop ya from leakin' to death." Fortunately the medical kit comes with plenty of duct tape and heavy strips of tarp fabric to wrap what barely remains of his legs up.